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U2
U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The group consists of Bono (vocals and guitar), The Edge (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion). The band formed at Mount Temple secondary school in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed to Island Records and released their debut album Boy. By the mid-1980s, they had become a top international act. They were more successful as a live act than they were at selling records, until their 1987 album The Joshua Tree,1 which, according to Rolling Stone, elevated the band's stature "from heroes to superstars".2 Their 1991 album Achtung Baby and the accompanying Zoo TV Tour were a musical and thematic reinvention for the band. Reacting to their own sense of musical stagnation and a late-1980s critical backlash, U2 incorporated dance music and alternative rock influences into their sound and performances, abandoning their earnest image for a more ironic, self-deprecating tone. Similar experimentation continued for the remainder of the 1990s. Since 2000, U2 have pursued a more conventional sound, while maintaining influences from their previous musical explorations. U2 have released 12 studio albums and are among the most critically and commercially successful groups in popular music. They have won 22 Grammy Awards,3 more than any other band,4 and they have sold more than 150 million records.35 In 2005, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone magazine listed U2 at number 22 in its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".6 Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes, including Amnesty International, the ONE/DATA campaigns, Product Red, and The Edge's Music Rising. edit] History See also: Timeline of U2 edit] Formation and early years (1976–79) EnlargeU2 in 1980. Shown from left to right: Clayton, Mullen, Bono, The Edge.The band formed in Dublin on 25 September 1976.7 Larry Mullen, Jr., then 14 years old, posted a notice on his secondary school (Mount Temple Comprehensive School) notice board in search of musicians for a new band. Setting up in his kitchen, Mullen later described it as "'The Larry Mullen Band' for about ten minutes, then Bono walked in and blew any chance I had of being in charge." Mullen was on drums, Paul Hewson (Bono) on lead vocals, Dave Evans (The Edge) and his older brother Dik Evans on guitar, Adam Clayton, a friend of the Evans brothers on bass guitar, and initially Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin, two other friends of Mullen.8 Soon after, the group settled on the name "Feedback", because it was one of the few technical terms they knew.9 Martin did not return after the first practice, and McCormick left the group within a few weeks. Most of the group's material initially consisted of cover versions, which the band said was not their forté.10 The band's early original material was influenced by punk rock acts, such as The Jam, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols.[citation needed] "We couldn't believe it. I was completely shocked. We weren't of an age to go out partying as such but I don't think anyone slept that night.... Really, it was just a great affirmation to win that competition, even though I've no idea how good we were or what the competition was really like. But to win at that point was incredibly important for morale and everyone's belief in the whole project." —The Edge, on winning the CBS competition11In March 1977, the band changed their name to "The Hype".12 Dik Evans, who was older and by this time at college, was becoming the odd man out. The rest of the band was leaning towards the idea of a four-piece ensemble and he was "phased out" in March 1978. During a farewell concert in the Presbyterian Church Hall in Howth, which featured The Hype playing covers, Dik ceremoniously walked offstage. The remaining four band members completed the concert playing original material as "U2".13 Steve Averill, a punk rock musician and family friend of Clayton's, had suggested six potential names from which the band chose "U2" for its ambiguity and open-ended interpretations, and because it was the name that they disliked the least.14 On Saint Patrick's Day in 1978, U2 won a talent show in Limerick, Ireland. The prize consisted of £500 and studio time to record a demo which would be heard by CBS Ireland. This win was an important milestone and affirmation for the fledgling band.13 The band recorded their first demo tape at Keystone Studios in Dublin, in May 1978.15 Hot Press magazine was influential in shaping the band's future; in May, Paul McGuinness, who had earlier been introduced to the band by the magazine's journalist Bill Graham, agreed to be U2's manager.16 U2's first release, an Ireland-only EP entitled Three, was released in September 1979 and was the band's first Irish chart success.17 In December 1979, U2 performed in London for their first shows outside Ireland, although they failed to get much attention from audiences or critics.18 In February 1980, their second single "Another Day" was released on the CBS label, but again only for the Irish market.19 edit] Boy, October, and War (1980–83) Island Records signed U2 in March 1980, and in May, the band released "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" as their first international single.20 The band's debut album, Boy, followed in October. It was produced by Steve Lillywhite and received generally positive reviews.21 Although Bono's lyrics were unfocused and seemingly improvised, a common theme was the dreams and frustrations of adolescence.22 The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit single, "I Will Follow". Boy's release was followed by the Boy Tour, U2's first tour of continental Europe and the United States.23 Despite being unpolished, these early live performances demonstrated U2's potential, as critics noted that Bono was a "charismatic" and "passionate" showman.24 The band's second album, October, was released in 1981 and contained overtly spiritual themes. During the album's recording sessions, Bono and The Edge considered quitting the band due to perceived spiritual conflicts.25 Bono, The Edge, and Mullen had joined a Christian group in Dublin called the "Shalom Fellowship", which led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and the rock and roll lifestyle.26 Bono and Edge took time off between tours and decided to leave Shalom in favour of continuing with the band. Recording was further complicated when a briefcase containing lyrics for several working songs was stolen from backstage during the band's performance at a nightclub in Portland, Oregon.27 The album received mixed reviews and limited radio play. Low sales outside the UK put pressure on their contract with Island and focused the band on improvement.28 Resolving their doubts of the October period, U2 released War in 1983.29 A record where the band "turned pacifism itself into a crusade",30 War's sincerity and "rugged" guitar was intentionally at odds with the "cooler" synthpop of the time.31 The album included the politically charged "Sunday Bloody Sunday", where Bono had lyrically tried to contrast the events of Bloody Sunday with Easter Sunday.32 Rolling Stone magazine wrote that the song showed the band was capable of deep and meaningful songwriting. War was U2's first album to feature the photography of Anton Corbijn, who remains U2's principal photographer and has had a major influence on their vision and public image.33 U2's first commercial success, War debuted at number one in the UK, and its first single, "New Year's Day", was the band's first hit outside Ireland or the UK.34 EnlargeBono performs in Norway during the War Tour in 1983.On the subsequent War Tour, the band performed sold-out concerts in mainland Europe and the US. The sight of Bono waving a white flag during performances of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" became the tour's iconic image.35 U2 recorded the Under a Blood Red Sky live album on this tour, as well as the Live at Red Rocks concert film, both of which received extensive play on the radio and MTV, expanding the band's audience and showcasing their prowess as a live act.36 Their record deal with Island Records was coming to an end, and in 1984 the band signed a more lucrative extension. They negotiated the return of their copyrights (so that they owned the rights to their own songs), an increase in their royalty rate, and a general improvement in terms, at the expense of a larger initial payment.37 edit] The Unforgettable Fire and Live Aid (1984–85) "We knew the world was ready to receive the heirs to The Who. All we had to do was to keep doing what we were doing and we would become the biggest band since Led Zeppelin, without a doubt. But something just didn't feel right. We felt we had more dimension than just the next big anything, we had something unique to offer." —Bono, on The Unforgettable Fire's new direction.38The Unforgettable Fire was released in 1984. Ambient and abstract, it was at the time the band's most marked change in direction.39 The band feared that following the overt rock of the War album and tour, they were in danger of becoming another "shrill", "sloganeering arena-rock band".40 Thus, experimentation was sought,41 as Adam Clayton recalls, "We were looking for something that was a bit more serious, more arty."38 The Edge admired the ambient and "weird works" of Brian Eno, who, along with his engineer Daniel Lanois, eventually agreed to produce the record.42 The Unforgettable Fire has a rich and orchestrated sound. Under Lanois' direction, Mullen's drumming became looser, funkier, and more subtle and Clayton's bass became more subliminal; the rhythm section no longer intruded, but flowed in support of the songs.43 Complementing the sonic atmospherics, the album's lyrics are open to many interpretations, providing what the band called a "very visual feel".39 Bono's recent immersion in fiction, philosophy, and poetry made him realise that his songwriting responsibility—about which he had always been reluctant—was a poetic one.[citation needed] Due to a tight recording schedule, however, Bono felt songs like "Bad" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" were incomplete "sketches".44 "Pride (In the Name of Love)", about Martin Luther King, Jr., was the album's first single and became the band's biggest hit to that point, including being their first to enter the US top 40.45 Much of The Unforgettable Fire Tour moved into indoor arenas as U2 began to win their long battle to build their audience.47 The complex textures of the new studio-recorded tracks, such as "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Bad", were problematic to translate to live performances.39 One solution was programmed sequencers, which the band had previously been reluctant to use, but are now used in the majority of the band's performances.39 Songs on the album had been criticised as being "unfinished", "fuzzy", and "unfocused", but were better received by critics when played on stage.48 U2 participated in the Live Aid concert for Ethiopian famine relief at Wembley Stadium in July 1985.49 U2's performance in front of 82,000 fans was a pivotal point in the band's career.50 During a 14-minute performance of the song "Bad", Bono leapt down off the stage to embrace and dance with a fan, showing a television audience of millions the personal connection that Bono could make with audiences.51 In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine called U2 the "Band of the '80s", saying that "for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, U2 have become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters".37 edit] The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum (1986–89) "The wild beauty, cultural richness, spiritual vacancy and ferocious violence of America are explored to compelling effect in virtually every aspect of The Joshua Tree—in the title and the cover art, the blues and country borrowings evident in the music ... Indeed, Bono says that 'dismantling the mythology of America' is an important part of The Joshua Tree's artistic objective." —''Rolling Stone''52Motivated by friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Keith Richards, the band looked back to the roots of rock music, and Bono focused on his skills as a song and lyric writer.53 Realising "that U2 had no tradition", the band explored American blues, folk, and gospel music.54 For their fifth album, The Joshua Tree,55 the band wanted to build on The Unforgettable Fire's atmospherics, but instead of its out-of-focus tracks, they sought a harder-hitting sound within the strict discipline of conventional song structures.56 U2 interrupted their 1986 album sessions to serve as a headline act on Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope tour. Rather than being a distraction, the tour added extra intensity and power to their new music.57 In 1986, Bono travelled to San Salvador and Nicaragua and saw first-hand the distress of peasants bullied in internal conflicts that were subject to American political intervention. The experience became a central influence on the new music. EnlargeThe tree pictured on The Joshua Tree album sleeve. Adam Clayton said "The desert was immensely inspirational to us as a mental image for this record".58The Joshua Tree was released in March 1987. The album juxtaposes antipathy towards America against the band's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedom, and what it stands for.59 The band wanted music with a sense of location and a "cinematic" quality, and the album's music and lyrics draw on imagery created by American writers whose works the band had been reading.60 The Joshua Tree became the fastest-selling album in British chart history, and was number one for nine weeks in the United States.61 The album's first two singles, "With or Without You"40 and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", quickly went to number one in the US. U2 became the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of Time magazine,62 which declared U2 "Rock's Hottest Ticket".63 The album won U2 their first two Grammy Awards,64 and it brought the band a new level of success. Many publications, including Rolling Stone, have cited it as one of rock's greatest.65 The Joshua Tree Tour was the first tour on which the band played shows in stadiums, alongside smaller arena shows.66 The documentary Rattle and Hum featured footage recorded from The Joshua Tree Tour, and the accompanying double album of the same name included nine studio tracks and six live U2 performances. Released in October 1988, the album and film were intended as a tribute to American music,67 and included recordings at Sun Studios in Memphis and performances with Bob Dylan and B. B. King. Rattle and Hum performed modestly at the box office and received mixed reviews from both film and music critics;68 one Rolling Stone editor spoke of the album's "excitement", another described it as "bombastic and misguided".69 The film's director, Phil Joanou, described it as "an overly pretentious look at U2".70 Most of the album's new material was played on 1989's Lovetown Tour, which visited Australia, Japan and Europe, because the band wanted to avoid the American backlash. In addition, they had grown dissatisfied with their live performances; Mullen recalled that "We were the biggest, but we weren't the best".71 With a sense of musical stagnation, Bono said to fans on one of the last dates of the tour that it was "the end of something for U2" and that they had to "go away and ... just dream it all up again".72 edit] Achtung Baby, Zoo TV, and Zooropa (1990–93) "Buzzwords on this record were trashy, throwaway, dark, sexy, and industrial (all good) and earnest, polite, sweet, righteous, rockist and linear (all bad). It was good if a song took you on a journey or made you think your hifi was broken, bad if it reminded you of recording studios or U2..." —Brian Eno, on the recording of Achtung Baby73Stung by the criticism of Rattle and Hum, the band made a calculated change in musical and thematic direction for their seventh studio album, Achtung Baby; the shift was one of their most dramatic since The Unforgettable Fire.74 They began work on the album in East Berlin in October 1990 with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, seeking inspiration on the eve of German reunification.75 The sessions instead proved to be difficult, as conflict arose within the group over their musical direction and the quality of their material. While Clayton and Mullen preferred a sound similar to U2's previous work, Bono and Edge were inspired by alternative rock and European dance music and advocated a change. Weeks of slow progress, arguments, and tension subsided when the band rallied around a chord progression The Edge had composed to improvise the song "One".76 They completed the album in 1991 in Dublin. In November 1991, U2 released Achtung Baby. Sonically, it incorporated alternative rock, dance, and industrial influences of the time, and the band referred the album's musical departure as "four men chopping down the Joshua Tree".78 Thematically, it was a more inward-looking and personal record; it was darker, yet at times more flippant than the band's previous work. Commercially and critically, it has been one of the band's most successful albums. It produced the hit singles "The Fly", "Mysterious Ways", and "One", and it was a crucial part of the band's early 1990s reinvention.79 Like The Joshua Tree, many publications have cited the record as one of rock's greatest.65 EnlargeThe Zoo TV stage featured a complex setup with over 30 video screens.80The Zoo TV Tour of 1992–1993 was a multimedia event and showcased an extravagant but intentionally bewildering array of dozens of video screens, upside-down flying Trabant cars, mock transmission towers, satellite TV links, and subliminal messages. Bono featured several over-the-top stage characters, such as "The Fly", "Mirror-Ball Man", and "Mr. MacPhisto", in live performances. The extravagant shows were intentionally in contrast to the austere staging of previous U2 tours and mocked the excesses of rock and roll by appearing to embrace these very excesses. The shows were, in part, U2's way to represent the pervasive nature of cable television and its blurring of news, entertainment, and home shopping.81 Prank phone calls were made to President Bush, the United Nations, and others. Live satellite uplinks to war-torn Sarajevo caused controversy.82 Quickly recorded during a break in the Zoo TV tour in mid-1993, the Zooropa album continued many of the themes from Achtung Baby and the Zoo TV Tour. Initially intended as an EP, the band expanded Zooropa into a full-length LP album. It was an even greater departure from the style of their earlier recordings, incorporating techno influences and other electronic effects.83 Johnny Cash sang the vocal on "The Wanderer". Most of the songs were played at least once during the 1993 leg of the tour, which extended through Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan; half the album's tracks became fixtures in the setlist.84 edit] Passengers, Pop, and PopMart (1994–99) "It's not enough to write a great lyric; it's not enough to have a good idea or a great hook, lots of things have to come together and then you have to have the ability to discipline and screen. We should give this album to a re-mixer, go back to what was originally intended..." —Bono, on Pop85In 1995, U2 released an experimental album called Original Soundtracks 1. Brian Eno, producer of three previous U2 albums, contributed as a full partner, including writing and performing. For this reason and due to the record's highly experimental nature, the band chose to release it under the moniker "Passengers" to distinguish it from U2's conventional albums. Mullen said of the album, "There's a thin line between interesting music and self-indulgence. We crossed it on the Passengers record."86 It was commercially unnoticed by U2 standards and it received generally poor reviews. However, the single "Miss Sarajevo" featuring Luciano Pavarotti, which Bono cites as one of his favourite U2 songs,87 was successful. EnlargeThe band emerges from a mirror-ball lemon during a PopMart Tour concertOn 1997's Pop, U2 continued experimenting; tape loops, programming, rhythm sequencing, and sampling provided much of the album with heavy, funky dance rhythms.88 Released in March, the album debuted at number one in 35 countries and drew mainly positive reviews.89 Rolling Stone, for example, stated that U2 had "defied the odds and made some of the greatest music of their lives".90 Others felt that the album was a major disappointment and sales were poor compared to previous U2 releases.91 The band was hurried into completing the album in time for the impending pre-booked tour, and Bono admitted that the album "didn't communicate the way it was intended to".92 The subsequent tour, PopMart, commenced in April 1997. Like Zoo TV, it poked fun at pop culture and was intended to send a sarcastic message to those accusing U2 of commercialism. The stage included a 100-foot (30 m) tall golden yellow arch (reminiscent of the McDonald's logo), a 150-foot (46 m) long video screen, and a 40-foot (12 m) tall mirrorball lemon. U2's "big shtick" failed, however, to satisfy many who were seemingly confused by the band's new kitsch image and elaborate sets.93 The delay of Pop's release date in order to complete the album meant rehearsal time for the tour was severely reduced, and performances in early shows suffered.94 A highlight of the tour was a concert in Sarajevo where U2 were the first major group to perform there following the Bosnian War.95 Mullen described the concert as "an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life, and if I had to spend 20 years in the band just to play that show, and have done that, I think it would have been worthwhile."96 One month following the conclusion of the PopMart Tour, U2 appeared on the 200th episode of The Simpsons, "Trash of the Titans", in which Homer Simpson disrupted the band on stage during a PopMart concert.97 edit] "Reapplying for the job of the best band in the world" (2000–06) EnlargeU2 perform at Super Bowl XXXVI Halftime Show, 3 February 2002Following the comparatively poor reception of Pop, U2 declared they were "reapplying for the job ... of the best band in the world",98 and they have since pursued a more conventional rock sound mixed with the influences of their 1990s musical explorations.99 All That You Can't Leave Behind was released in October 2000 and was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. For many of those not won over by the band's 1990s music, it was considered a return to grace;100 Rolling Stone called it U2's "third masterpiece" alongside The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.101 The album debuted at number one in 22 countries102 and its worldwide hit single, "Beautiful Day" earned three Grammy Awards. The album's other three singles also won Grammy Awards. For the Elevation Tour, U2 performed in a scaled-down setting, returning to arenas after nearly a decade of stadium productions. A heart-shaped stage and ramp permitted greater proximity to the audience. Following the 11 September attacks, the new album gained added resonance,65103 and in October, U2 performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Bono and The Edge later said these New York City shows were among their most memorable and emotional performances.104 In early 2002, U2 performed during halftime of Super Bowl XXXVI,105 which SI.com ranked as the best halftime show in Super Bowl history.106 The band's next studio album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, was released in November 2004. The band were looking for a harder-hitting rock sound than All That You Can't Leave Behind. Thematically, Bono stated that "A lot of the songs are paeans to naiveté, a rejection of knowingness."107 The first single, "Vertigo", was featured on a widely aired television commercial for the Apple iPod, and a U2 iPod and an iTunes U2 box set were also released as part of a promotion with Apple. The album debuted at number one in the US, where first week sales doubled that of All That You Can't Leave Behind and set a record for the band.108 Claiming it as a contender as one of U2's three best albums, Bono said, "There are no weak songs. But as an album, the whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts, and it fucking annoys me."107 The Vertigo Tour featured a setlist that varied more across dates than any U2 tour since the Lovetown Tour, and it included songs not played since the early 1980s. Like the Elevation Tour, the Vertigo Tour was a commercial success.109 The album and its singles won Grammy Awards in all eight categories in which U2 were nominated. In 2005, Bruce Springsteen inducted U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.110 A 3-D concert film, U2 3D, filmed at nine concerts during the South America leg of the Vertigo Tour was released on 23 January 2008. In August 2006, the band incorporated its publishing business in The Netherlands following the capping of Irish artists' tax exemption at €250,000.111 The Edge stated that businesses often seek to minimise their tax burdens.112 The move was criticised in the Irish parliament.112113 The band said the criticism was unfair, stating that approximately 95% of their business took place outside of Ireland, that they were taxed globally because of this, and that they were all "personal investors and employers in the country".114 edit] No Line on the Horizon and U2 360° Tour (2007–present) EnlargeThe band's 360-degree stage layout from their 2009 U2 360° TourThe band began work on their twelfth album No Line on the Horizon in 2006, originally writing and recording with producer Rick Rubin, but the material was shelved. The band subsequently chose to begin writing and recording for the album with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno in June 2007. A two-week trip to Fez, Morocco where the six recorded led to the band experimenting with North African sounds and indicating the album would be more experimental than their previous efforts. During the album sessions, on 31 March 2008, it was confirmed that U2 signed a 12 year deal with Live Nation worth an estimated $100 million (£50 million),115[not in citation given] which includes Live Nation controlling the band's merchandise, sponsoring, and their official website. The band completed No Line on the Horizon in December 2008, and it was released on 27 February 2009.116 The album received generally positive reviews, but critics noted the end result was not as experimental as expected. The U2 360° Tour began on 30 June 2009 and featured European and North American stadium dates in 2009, with additional shows in Europe in 2010 and North America in 2011.117 The shows feature a 360-degree staging/audience configuration, in which the fans surround the stage from all sides.118 U2 were scheduled to headline the Glastonbury Festival on 25 June 2010,119 but an injury to Bono's back during preparation for the third leg of the U2 360° Tour necessitated the cancellation of their appearance, along with the postponement of the entire leg. Bono stated, "I'm heartbroken. We really wanted to be there to do something really special—we even wrote a song especially for the Festival."120 In 2009, Rolling Stone named U2 one of eight "Artists of the Decade".121 The group's tours ranked them second in total concert grosses for the decade, after The Rolling Stones.122 edit] Musical style Since their inception, U2 have developed and maintained a distinctly recognisable sound, with emphasis on melodic instrumentals and expressive, larger-than-life vocals.123 This approach is rooted partly in the early influence of record producer Steve Lillywhite at a time when the band was not known for musical proficiency.124 The Edge has consistently used a rhythmic echo and a signature delay125 to craft his guitar work, coupled with an Irish-influenced drone played against his syncopated melodies126 that ultimately yields a well-defined ambient, chiming sound. Bono has nurtured his falsetto operatic voice127 and has exhibited a notable lyrical bent towards social, political, and personal subject matter while maintaining a grandiose scale in his songwriting. In addition, The Edge has described U2 as a fundamentally live band.126 Despite these broad consistencies, U2 have introduced new elements into their musical repertoire with each new album. U2's early sound was influenced by bands such as Television and Joy Division, and has been described as containing a "sense of exhilaration" that resulted from The Edge's "radiant chords" and Bono's "ardent vocals".128 U2's sound began with post-punk roots and minimalistic and uncomplicated instrumentals heard on Boy and October, but evolved through War to include aspects of rock anthem, funk, and dance rhythms to become more versatile and aggressive.129 Boy and War were labelled "muscular and assertive" by Rolling Stone,40 influenced in large part by Lillywhite's producing. The Unforgettable Fire, which began with the Edge playing more keyboards than guitars, as well as follow-up The Joshua Tree, had Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois at the production helm. With their influence, both albums achieved a "diverse texture".40 The songs from The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum placed more emphasis on Lanois-inspired rhythm as they mixed distinct and varied styles of gospel and blues music, which stemmed from the band's burgeoning fascination with America's culture, people and places. In the 1990s, U2 reinvented themselves as they began using synthesisers, distortion, and electronic beats derived from alternative rock, industrial music, dance, and hip-hop on Achtung Baby,130 Zooropa, and Pop.131 The 2000s had U2 returning to a stripped-down sound, with less obvious use of synthesisers and effects and a more traditional rhythm. edit] Lyrics and themes Social and political commentary, often embellished with Christian religious and spiritual imagery,132 are a major aspect of U2's lyrical content. Songs such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Silver and Gold", and "Mothers of the Disappeared" were motivated by current events of the time. The former was written about the troubles in Northern Ireland,133 while the latter concerns the struggle of mothers whose children were kidnapped and killed under Argentina's military dictatorship that began in 1976. Bono's personal conflicts and turmoil inspired family colour songs like "Mofo", "Tomorrow" and "Kite". An emotional yearning or pleading frequently appears as a lyrical theme,123 in tracks such as "Yahweh",134 "Peace on Earth", and "Please". Much of U2's songwriting and music is also motivated by contemplations of loss and anguish, coupled with hopefulness and resiliency, themes that are central to The Joshua Tree.40 Some of these lyrical ideas have been amplified by Bono and the band's personal experiences during their youth in Ireland, as well as Bono's campaigning and activism later in his life. U2 have used tours such as Zoo TV and PopMart to caricature social trends, such as media overload and consumerism, respectively.131 While the band and its fans often affirm the political nature of their music, U2's lyrics and music have been criticised as apolitical because of their vagueness and "fuzzy imagery", and a lack of any specific references to actual people or characters.135 edit] Influences The band cites The Who,136 The Clash,137 Ramones,138 The Beatles,139 Joy Division,140 Siouxsie and the Banshees,141 Elvis Presley,142 and Patti Smith143 as influences. Van Morrison has been cited by Bono as an influence144 and his influence on U2 is pointed out by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.145 Other musicians and bands such as Snow Patrol,146 The Fray,147 OneRepublic,148 Coldplay,149 This Allure,150 The Academy Is...,151 The Killers, Your Vegas,152 and Angels & Airwaves153 have in turn been influenced by the work of U2. U2 have also worked and/or had influential relationships with artists including Johnny Cash, Green Day, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, B.B. King, Luciano Pavarotti,154 Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Wim Wenders, R.E.M., Salman Rushdie, and Anton Corbijn. edit] Campaigning and activism EnlargeBono with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of BrazilSince the early 1980s, the members of U2—as a band and individually—have collaborated with other musicians, artists, celebrities, and politicians to address issues concerning poverty, disease, and social injustice. In 1984, Bono and Adam Clayton participated in Band Aid to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. The initiative produced the hit charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which would be the first among several collaborations between U2 and Bob Geldof. In July 1985, U2 played Live Aid, a follow-up to Band Aid's efforts. Bono and his wife Ali, invited by World Vision, later visited Ethiopia where they witnessed the famine first hand. Bono would later say this laid the groundwork for his Africa campaigning and some of his songwriting.155 In 1986, U2 participated in the A Conspiracy of Hope tour in support of Amnesty International and in Self Aid for unemployment in Ireland. The same year, Bono and Ali Hewson also visited Nicaragua and El Salvador at the invitation of the Sanctuary movement, and saw the effects of the El Salvador Civil War. These 1986 events greatly influenced The Joshua Tree album, which was being recorded at the time. In 1992, the band participated in the "Stop Sellafield" concert with Greenpeace during their Zoo TV tour.156 Events in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war inspired the song "Miss Sarajevo", which premiered at a September 1995 Pavarotti and Friends show, and which Bono and the Edge performed at War Child.157 A promise made in 1993 was kept when the band played in Sarajevo as part of 1997's PopMart Tour.158 In 1998, they performed in Belfast days prior to the vote on the Good Friday Agreement, bringing Northern Irish political leaders David Trimble and John Hume on stage to promote the agreement.159 Later that year, all proceeds from the release of the "Sweetest Thing" single went towards supporting the Chernobyl Children's Project. In 2001, the band dedicated "Walk On" to Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.160 In late 2003, Bono and the Edge participated in the South Africa HIV/AIDS awareness 46664 series of concerts hosted by Nelson Mandela. The band played 2005's Live 8 concert in London. The band and manager Paul McGuinness were awarded Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award for their work in promoting human rights.161 Since 2000, Bono's campaigning has included Jubilee 2000 with Bob Geldof, Muhammad Ali, and others to promote the cancellation of third world debt during the Great Jubilee. In January 2002, Bono co-founded the multinational NGO, DATA, with the aim of improving the social, political, and financial state of Africa. He continued his campaigns for debt and HIV/AIDS relief into June 2002 by making high-profile visits to Africa.162 Product Red, a 2006 for-profit brand seeking to raise money for the Global Fund, was founded, in part, by Bono. The ONE Campaign, originally the US counterpart of Make Poverty History, was shaped by his efforts and vision. In 2007 the ONE Campaign and DATA merged into a single organization, ONE, with Bono a member of the merged organization's board of directors. In late 2005, following Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, The Edge helped introduce Music Rising, an initiative to raise funds for musicians who lost their instruments in the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.163 In 2006, U2 collaborated with punk rock band Green Day to record a remake of the song "The Saints Are Coming" by The Skids to benefit Music Rising.164 U2 and Bono's social activism have not been without its critics however. Several authors and activists who publish in politically left journals such as CounterPunch have decried Bono's support of political figures such as Paul Wolfowitz,165 as well as his "essential paternalism".166 Other news sources have more generally questioned the efficacy of Bono's campaign to relieve debt and provide assistance to Africa.167 Tax and development campaigners have also criticised the band's move from Ireland to the Netherlands to reduce its tax bill.168 edit] Other projects The members of U2 have undertaken a number of side projects, sometimes in collaboration with some of their bandmates. In 1985, Bono recorded the song "In a Lifetime" with the Irish band Clannad. The Edge recorded a solo soundtrack album for the film Captive in 1986,169 which included a vocal performance by Sinéad O'Connor that predates her own debut album by a year. Bono and The Edge wrote the song "She's a Mystery to Me" for Roy Orbison, which was featured on his 1989 album Mystery Girl.170 In 1990, Bono and The Edge provided the soundtrack to Royal Shakespeare Company London stage version of A Clockwork Orange (only one track ever released, on the B-Side to The Fly single). Also in 1990 Larry Mullen co-wrote and produced a song for the Irish International soccer team in Italia '90, called "Put 'Em Under Pressure", which topped the Irish charts. Together with The Edge, Bono wrote the song "GoldenEye" for the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, which was performed by Tina Turner.171 Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. did a rework of the title track of the movie Mission: Impossible in 1996.172 Bono loaned his voice to "Joy" on Mick Jagger's 2001 album Goddess in the Doorway.173 Bono also recorded a spare, nearly spoken-word version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" for the "Tower of Song" compilation in 1995. Additionally, in 1998, Bono collaborated with Kirk Franklin and Crystal Lewis (along with controversial mainstream artists R. Kelly and Mary J. Blige) for a successful gospel song called "Lean on Me", not to be confused with the Bill Withers song of the same name. Aside from musical collaborations, U2 have worked with several authors. American author William S. Burroughs had a guest appearance in U2's video for "Last Night on Earth" shortly before he died.174 His poem "A Thanksgiving Prayer" was used as video footage during the band's Zoo TV Tour. Other collaborators include William Gibson and Allen Ginsberg.175 In early 2000, the band recorded three songs for the The Million Dollar Hotel movie soundtrack, including "The Ground Beneath Her Feet", which was co-written by Salman Rushdie and motivated by his book of the same name.176 Most recently, Bono appeared and performed The Beatles songs in the movie Across the Universe (2007). Bono and The Edge are also writing the music to the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, expected to open in 2010.177 Additionally, The Edge created the theme song for Season 1 and 2 of the animated television series The Batman. edit] Discography Main articles: U2 discography and List of U2 songs*''Boy'' (1980) *''October'' (1981) *''War'' (1983) *''The Unforgettable Fire'' (1984) *''The Joshua Tree'' (1987) *''Rattle and Hum'' (1988) *''Achtung Baby'' (1991) *''Zooropa'' (1993) *''Pop'' (1997) *''All That You Can't Leave Behind'' (2000) *''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' (2004) *''No Line on the Horizon'' (2009) edit] Awards Main article: List of awards received by U2U2 first received Grammy Awards for the The Joshua Tree in 1988, and have won 22 in total since.4 These include Best Rock Duo or Group, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Rock Album. The British Phonographic Industry has awarded U2 seven BRIT Awards, five of these being for Best International Group. In Ireland, U2 have won 14 Meteor Awards since the awards began in 2001. Other awards include one AMA, four VMAs, ten Q Awards, two Juno Awards, three NME Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. The band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in early 2005.110 In 2006, all four members of the band received ASCAP awards for writing the songs, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", and "Vertigo".178